Confederate Flag Is Still Causing Trouble

Confederate Flag Is Still Causing Trouble

Florida woman faces five years in jail after taunting coworker with it, debate about preserving it continues in South Carolina.

Published December 27th

Susan Thompson, 58, a resident of Jacksonville, Florida, is facing five years in prison after pleading guilty to lying to a federal officer about leaving a printout of a Confederate flag on her Black coworker's desk.

The incident took place shortly after the South Carolina church massacre that left nine dead. Thompson was a federal worker at the Jacksonville Army Corps of Engineers Office when she printed a Confederate flag image at home, brought it with her to work, and placed it on her colleague's desk. It's reported that, prior to the incident, the two co-workers weren't exactly break room buddies, but there was no altercation or disagreement that specifically lead to the incident.

When questioned about the flag, Thompson lied to investigators not just once, but twice. She later admitted to leaving the flag image, but said that the act wasn't racially motivated. Either way, it's clear that Thompson was the one who placed the image and lied about it, and now she's the one facing five years in prison. It looks like someone finally learned that actions have consequences.

Meanwhile, the Confederate flag is causing more trouble in South Carolina. After the state finally decided to remove the flag from flying about the statehouse after a long deliberation following the Charleston massacre, it turns out it will cost $3.6 million to preserve the flag in the State Museum's Confederate Relic Room — as was agreed to by compromise — according to the Charlotte Observer.

The state legislature will still need to approve the budget after hearing a proposal in the new year, and not all state representatives are keen to funnel the funds into the project. Representative Chris Corley (R) has already said that he will not vote “for that much money to go into it.”

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